Bretts D&D Next

Magic Items

Some magic items (generally items that have permanent bonuses) require a creature to form a bond with them before their magical properties can be used. This bond is called attunement. On occassion certain items have the prerequisite for attunement to occur. If the prerequisite is a class, a creature must be a member of that class to attune to the item. In some circumstances it may require a command word, ceremony or such.

Attuning to an item requires a creature to spend a short rest (in most cases) focused on only that item while being in physical contact with it (this can’t be the same short rest used to learn the item’s properties). This focus can take the form of weapon practice, meditation, or some other appropriate activity. If the short rest is interrupted, the attunement attempt fails. Otherwise, at the end of the short rest, the creature gains an intuitive understanding of how to activate any magical properties of the item, including any necessary command words.

An item can be attuned to only one creature at a time, and a creature can be attuned to no more than than a certain small number of magic items at a time, that number being their proficiency bonus.

Any attempt to attune to a greater number of items fail; the creature must end its attunement to an item first. Additionally, a creature can’t attune to more than one copy of an item. For example, a creature can’t attune to more than one ring of protection at a time.

A creature’s attunement to an item ends if the creature no longer satisfies the prerequisites for attunement, if the item has been more than 100 feet away for at least 24 hours, if the creature dies, or if another creature attunes to the item. A creature can also voluntarily end attunement by spending another short rest focused on the item, unless the item is cursed.